The generation with the most buying power sets the trends in retail and Generation Z is stepping up for their time in the sun. Gen Z will represent 40 percent of customers by 2020 and, as they come of age, […]
Identifying Trends for the Trend-Averse Generation Read More »
The profitable world of previously-owned is not just for Mercedes anymore. Consider the emerging retail reality: Empty storefronts on Main Street, shuttered malls, bankrupt chains. Could it be that consumers have lost interest in the acquisition of new stuff? That
Whatever’s Old Is New Again by Coming Around Again Read More »
The retail industry may be under siege, but when it comes to the holidays, they are the mothership optically for nostalgia, sentimentality and remembrance of better things past. If you live in an urban area with sidewalk traffic, it is
Once Upon a Time in America Read More »
In one minute and 25 seconds, Alibaba scored shock and awe sales of $1 billion. Say again!!? Not only that, sales exceeded $10 billion in five minutes and 21 seconds faster than last year. Then they went on to finish
“Singles\’ Day’s” Dirty Little Secret Read More »
The airport in Doha, Qatar is packed at midnight. The arrivals hall has a huge yellow teddy bear in the center. Duty free stores are full and the line at the currency exchange office is endless. The human landscape is
Field Report from the Frontiers of Shopping Read More »
On a recent afternoon, I saw two twenty-something women photographing vegetables at the bustling Whole Foods store on Sixth Avenue and 42nd Street in New York City. After taking several shots of organic beets and swiss chard in various arrangements,
For Millennials, “You Are How You Food Shop” Read More »
Money isn\’t easy to come by, especially when you\’re young. Thus, it’s common for people in early adulthood to be frugal. When there’s little money to spend, it’s necessary to spend wisely. But today’s young adult—the millennials, or Gen Y—have
What Makes a Millennial Spend Big? Read More »
Many retailers have spent hours worrying about millennials. And with good reason. The generation, also known as Gen Y, has exhibited some distinctly different shopping patterns from earlier cohorts of the same age. Looking at the data, there is a
Asking Why Gen Y Shops the Way It Does? Read More »
It’s a silly game to keep tracking Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Just as same-store sales became a meaningless measure of performance once e-commerce took off, Black Friday and Cyber Monday became irrelevant when retailers began trying to outdo each
Black Friday, Cyber Monday: Irrelevant and Misleading? Read More »
Westfield World Trade Center had its soft opening last week; it’s the latest masterpiece of rebirth of lower Manhattan since the 9/11 tragedy. It has been a painful 15 years of unrequited completion filled with heart-wrenching conflicts. For the many
